A tan, single-story convenience store with a bright, cartoon-themed mural on its side, showing stylized characters resembling Bart Simpson and Stewie Griffin against a rainbow-colored forest background. The red sign above the entrance reads “V-City Grocery & Smoke.” Two uniformed police officers stand outside: one walks past the mural, and the other stands just inside the open doorway. A yellow “School Xing” sign is visible at the edge of the parking lot, and a hillside can be seen in the distance.
Vallejo police officers Daniel Saravia (left) and Himanshu Saini investigate the scene of a shooting at V-City Grocery & Smoke on Feb. 22, 2025. (Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo)

A man was shot and wounded in an apparent robbery in the 1700 block of Springs Road in Vallejo Saturday afternoon.

At approximately 2:54 p.m., police responded to a call from an individual stating that an employee of V-City Grocery & Smoke had been shot in the hand. The caller was not at the store and told police the victim alerted him to call for help, according to dispatch audio. Police arrived within three minutes and applied a tourniquet to the victim.

The suspect fled before officers arrived, according to dispatch audio. One officer told dispatch they saw a grey sedan speed off on Springs Road moments after the shooting. Police last saw the suspect vehicle heading west on Springs Road toward the Interstate 80 overpass.

A closer look at the store’s exterior corner, painted in a black-and-rainbow motif. The word “Nugget” appears large in graffiti-style lettering with colorful mushrooms and forest silhouettes beneath a sunset gradient. Part of a black SUV is parked in front, and the red roof trim extends across the top of the building under a clear blue sky.
Officers were unable to collect video evidence, as the store’s surveillance system had not been properly configured, according to police. (Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo)

Officers attempted to collect video evidence from the store but found that the surveillance system’s file storage was not working, according to police.

The victim was treated at a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and no arrests have been made, according to Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis.

Matthew Brown is an investigative reporter at Open Vallejo.